


Have To

by tomorrowsthe16th



Category: Disney Duck Universe, Disney Ducks (Comics)
Genre: Can be Read as Ship or Gen, Dreams vs. Reality, Gen, Hospitals, Memory Loss, Nightmares, Other, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-29 23:43:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15739707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomorrowsthe16th/pseuds/tomorrowsthe16th
Summary: Paperinik falls off a building and is taken to the hospital.Alternatively: Donald Starts To Learn That Maybe Carcan Was A Mistake





	Have To

**Author's Note:**

> Me: I'm gonna write Brigitta x Goldie fluff!  
> My brain: No You Are Going To Write Surreal And Edgy PKGyro-But-Can-Be-Read-As-Not Angst.  
> Me: okay.
> 
> Yeah sorry I'm like this gamers. Also it's a bit confusing, as surreal edgy fic may be, but. Oh Well.

It wasn’t hard to track down the guy. He was a typical wannabe criminal: sloppily committing crimes and leaving plenty of clues for Paperinik to find him.

Paperinik had him cornered on the roof of an office building. The plan was easy peasy. Paperinik would jump on the guy, rough him up just a bit, before sending him off to jail.

However, as Paperinik got a running start, he made one fatal error.

The guy was a ghost.

So as Paperinik jumped he kept going.

Right off the building.

He could hear screaming. Loud screaming that almost burst his eardrums. It took him a second to recognize it was his. It was surreal, because inside he felt no fear and instead began berating himself for not realizing his guy was a ghost. He should have known there’d be some kinda catch. There always was!

His thoughts were interrupted by the impact of the ground. He could hear the gasps of passers-by, as well as someone shouting from above.

“Paperinik!”

What seemed like only a second later to Paperinik, he was being held. Paperinik wasn’t sure who was holding him, or even if he was being held at all, but in that moment, time froze. It felt as if he was in a snapshot, and months, even years after the incident, he would still feel like he was in that snapshot if anyone were to bring it up.

Both two seconds and a thousand years later, Paperinik felt himself being carried. What little left of him that was still thinking wondered if he was being lifted to heaven by an angel, and then wondered why they got the clumsiest, most oafish angel to carry him up.

Criminy, did everything _hurt_.

Next thing Paperinik knew, he was standing over a crying friend. The friend had a strong sense of familiarity, but if you asked Paperinik to describe their appearance, he’d be left at a blank. If you asked for a name, Paperinik would know, but would find himself tongue tied when he tried to say it.

“I’m sorry,” Paperinik said.

The friend didn’t answer. That was fair. After all, Paperinik… wait… what did he do again?

Paperinik turned away to see a monster and gasped.

The monster just stared at Paperinik. Paperinik stared back. Neither said a word. It was as if they had an understanding.

Or so Paperinik thought. The monster finally spoke. Paperinik did not know what language they were speaking in, but he did understand the language.

“PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?”

“What do my thoughts matter?” Paperinik asked, the words coming out of him automatically, as if they weren’t his own.

“OH, IT’S JUST THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED SO MANY TIMES,” The monster explained, “AND I’VE NEVER ONCE GOTTEN YOUR OPINION ON IT.”

Paperinik squinted at the monster. “I don’t reme-Listen, there are more important things to worry about. If you haven’t noticed, our friend is hurt.”

“WE CAN MULTITASK.”

“Ugh! I don’t want to talk about it right now, okay?”

Paperinik began to tend to his upset friend once more, though his attempts seemed futile; his friend just kept crying. Paperinik was starting to hurt too.

“IF WE DON’T TALK ABOUT IT NOW, YOU’LL FORGET IT LATER.”

“Maybe I want to forget about it.”

“DO YOU?”

A pause.

“I have to.”

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO.”

“I already failed him once tonight. I couldn’t save him. I can’t betray him again.”

“THAT WAS A MISTAKE; HE’LL FORGIVE YOU.”

“Oh? Really? Because he looks pretty badly hurt now! I…I don’t even know if he’ll make it out of this alive!”

Alive.

Alive.

Paperinik’s friend began to wail, flinching in pain whenever Paperinik touched him.

“We need to get him to a hospital ASAP!”

“YOU’RE OVERREACTING. HE’S STILL BREATHING ISN’T HE?”

Paperinik didn’t listen, he just started running around, trying to figure out how to help his friend, trying to remember where the hospital was, trying to help his friend and feeling so useless.

After a bit of scrambling about Paperinik jolted awake, disoriented.

Ugh, it hurt so bad… and it was so bright… It hurt to even keep his eyes open.

He remembered the dream. What he said to the monster.

“have to… forget…”

And Paperinik lost consciousness again, but not before distantly hearing someone say “see?” and some buzzing.

* * *

 

Some time later, Donald Duck awoke in a hospital bed. The first thing he thought of was the dream he had with his friend and the monster… He felt disappointed in himself. He said he was going to forget, but he still remembered it clear as day.

It tore him apart. He made a promise, and he couldn’t keep it. Was his friend even okay???

Wait. It was just a dream. And a confusing one at that. Donald couldn’t even place the friend’s face or name, now that he thought about it.

Donald remembered… falling off a building as Paperinik, but his mask was gone and he had a hospital gown on.

How did he get there?

Donald noticed a card on the table and took a look at it.

_Hey Don,_

_I’m sorry I couldn’t catch you in time, and sorry I had to unmask you, but you were way to hurt to be patched up at the workshop, so I dropped you off here. But don’t worry! I kept up your secret! I told everyone you fell off the roof of your house, and no one suspected a thing! No one knows about this but Little Helper and me. Once again I’m so sorry! Please get well soon!_

_-Gyro_

So, it was Gyro’s doing. That made sense. Gyro did so much for him and it made him happy to know that he’d always have someone there for him. Someone he could always trust. Donald felt a little bad at how apologetic the letter was though. Donald knew Gyro did the right thing. Even if Gyro learned his secret, that was okay with him. Gyro deserved to know, after all he’d been through. After all they’d both been through.

Plenty of Donald’s family and friends visited him at the hospital. Grandma and Gus promised to take care of the boys until Donald was discharged. Daisy brought plenty of Get Well Soon balloons. Scrooge insisted he wouldn’t be paying Donald’s medical bills, only to leave saying he’d pay a small percentage, but Donald would owe him once he got out. Fethry brought in a diffuser, talking about how essential oils can heal the body. Gladstone entered a charity lottery at the hospital and won, and when Donald ever fumed about it, Gladstone explained he was helping the patrons at the hospital, such as Donald.

And then came Gyro.

Gyro rushed into the hospital room, Little Helper holding onto his shoulder for dear life. “Donald? Are you alright?!”

“I’m doing a lot better, thanks,” Donald said, calmly. “Oh, and by the way, I want to thank you for bringing me here the other night.”

Gyro tilted his head as Little Helper climbed back up Gyro’s shoulder. “Huh? Donald, I only heard that you were in the hospital an hour ago.”

“Oh.” It made sense. Gyro must have left the hospital and ate a Carcan as soon as he got home. “Oh.”


End file.
